If a 30-foot pump-out boat ever makes its way from California to Tiverton, it will make the trip as part of a procession.

And the trip will be costly, town officials learned.

The town was offered a 30-foot pump-out boat for free from Charles Moothart, a California businessman.

Kevin P. O'Connor

If a 30-foot pump-out boat ever makes its way from California to Tiverton, it will make the trip as part of a procession.

And the trip will be costly, town officials learned.

The town was offered a 30-foot pump-out boat for free from Charles Moothart, a California businessman.

The boat has been in storage for the past four years. Moothart used it at a marina he owned in California but put it under wraps when the state began offering pump-out service.

Moothart offered the boat for free and offered to pay for it to be shipped across the country to be used in Tiverton. The town accepted.

Then Tiverton brought in shippers to estimate the cost of moving the boat from the west coast to the east.

“The estimate came out higher than what was expected,” said Town Administrator James Goncalo. “The boat is very wide.

“Because of that, it will have to have a driver in front and a driver behind the boat with wide load signs on their cars. Those drivers will have to be paid, of course, and you have to get them back across the country afterwards.
“We sent the shipping information out to the boat owner. He has not yet returned our call.”

The vessel is a 30-foot pontoon boat with twin 140-horsepower MercCruiser engines. It has a 600-pound holding tank.

Recreational boaters are not allowed to discharge sewage into coastal waters. Boats with toilets must have a holding tank in order to be licensed. Boaters then must find a pump-out station to have the holding tanks emptied.

Currently, the only pump-out station in Tiverton is at Standish Marina.

The pump-out boat is estimated to be worth $175,000. It was surveyed and found to be in good mechanical condition, town officials reported. The Town Council accepted the gift of the boat in May, but no funds were earmarked for its operation this year.

“It would not be put into use this season, even if we had it right now,” Goncalo said. “The plan is to use it next year.”

The plans are to keep the boat in storage once it arrives in Tiverton until the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1, 2014.